SEATTLE, WA – Washington Conservation Action announces Chris Esponda as the winner of its 19th annual $100,000 Bullitt Prize. Chris dedicates himself to connecting under-resourced communities with access to digital technology by refurbishing and donating computers. Chris is Indigenous organizer, community technologist, and digital equity advocate. His work keeps tons of electronic waste out of landfills.
The 2025 Bullitt Prize Selection Committee chose Chris because of his tangible connection to both his Indigenous Mayan culture and to his local community in the Seattle area. The 5-member committee was moved by Chris’s powerful story of resilience. Following a recent traumatic brain injury and amid the healing process, Chris continues to pursue his work with the goals of digital equity and environmental justice.
Chris, 35, is from Chiapas, Mexico, and he moved to the Pacific Northwest at age 5. He grew up translating for his family and supporting the daily household activities with pride.
In his application, Chris reflected on his culture’s strong tradition of service to others. Today, Chris upholds that service in his work and community organizing. He plans to use funds from the prize to expand the Chiapas Education Project, an organization he founded in 2023 to advance digital equity, environmental justice, and Indigenous empowerment.
With support from his community, the organization has refurbished 350 computers, diverting over 2,500 pounds of waste in just two years. Instead of using plastic, the organization wraps the devices in gently used clothing to ship them—a small but powerful way to reduce plastic use and waste while providing technology access.
“Chiapas Education Project is a grassroots nonprofit born out of love for my people—from Chiapas, Mexico to the Pacific Northwest, from Pine Ridge to the Salish Sea,” Chris explained in his application. “In a state known for tech innovation, far too many people still live without reliable internet or digital tools. I want to change that. The Bullitt Prize award will give me the foundation to establish permanent hubs of learning, repair, and ceremony—where people can gather not only to fix computers, but to restore relationships with each other and the land.”
Chris’s vision for the Chiapas Education Project involves expanding computer recycling efforts, building more training programs, and continuing to organize across borders and languages, in defense of both nature and communities.
“By training youth in computer repair, we reduce the volume of electronics sent to landfills and reinvest those tools into under-resourced communities,” says Chris. “Our mission is deeply tied to the land—by refurbishing old machines, we keep toxics out of our soil and water, while closing the technology gap for the next generation of environmental stewards.”
The Bullitt Prize is awarded annually to an individual or collaborative group, from an underrepresented community, 35 years or younger. Winners demonstrate academic, professional, or grassroots leadership that advances the environmental movement.
“The 2025 Bullitt Prize Selection Committee was impressed with Chris because he so thoughtfully weaves connections between his home in Mexico and his local community in Seattle,” says Christina Billingsley, Board Chair of Washington Conservation Action Education Fund. “Chris’s demonstrated leadership, strong community ties, and clear vision for the organization he founded come together to chart a clear path toward profound impact in the Pacific Northwest. We see his work and his potential reflecting the spirit of the Bullitt Prize.“
The goal of the Bullitt Prize is to broaden, strengthen, and diversify the current and future leadership of the environmental movement by investing in emerging leaders advancing conservation and environmental justice efforts in the Pacific Northwest. It comes with $100,000, awarded over two years.
The Bullitt Foundation stopped its grantmaking in 2024 and passed on the Bullitt Prize endowment to Washington Conservation Action to award this $100,000 prize in perpetuity. We will host an award ceremony and reception in Seattle, Washington on October 30, 2025.
RSVP here to join us at the reception.
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